Sports Cards (collector, walking, price, shops)

[ansky]

What's your opinion on the future value of sports cards? I have a ton of baseball and basketball cards from the mid 80's to the mid 90's that are taking up a ton of closet space. The sports card bubble burst in the mid 90's and I've found that cards have little or no market value today (judging by Ebay and Craigslist). I'm curious if maybe 20 or 30 years from now there might be a comeback and people will want these collectibles. Are they worth hanging on to, or should I just toss them? Thoughts?

[Subzro]

I have a large collection from the same era, but unfortunately, so does everyone else. None of those cards are rare, nor probably ever will be. Unless you have all the big rookies in gem mint condition that have been graded and authenticated, they are about as collectible as the cardboard they are printed on.

Sadly, I also had a mega collection of all the "vintage" Magic the Gathering cards, that I sold for pennies years ago, and those things are worth a mint today. Oops!

[The Continental]

I've still got a ton and hope to get rid of the commons when I have a garage sale. I do still enjoy looking through them, but need to slim the collection down some.

[skel1977]

There aren't as many collectors these days. The value has really gone way down. In my opinion that means that they will eventually go back up in value since most people will throw them out or throw them in boxes, damage them etc. I'm guessing the values wont go up for a real long time though. I'd give them away to a nephew, son, cousin, to someone who is young enough to see the value go up in the next 30 or 40 years.

The same thing happened with comic books. Now after all these huge blockbuster movies, spiderman, batman, walking dead tv show, the comic book industry really seems to be gaining steam. All the old issues that people thought were worthless are now showing up on ebay. The smart people who held onto them and kept them in good condition are profitting.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by ansky

What's your opinion on the future value of sports cards? I have a ton of baseball and basketball cards from the mid 80's to the mid 90's that are taking up a ton of closet space. The sports card bubble burst in the mid 90's and I've found that cards have little or no market value today (judging by Ebay and Craigslist). I'm curious if maybe 20 or 30 years from now there might be a comeback and people will want these collectibles. Are they worth hanging on to, or should I just toss them? Thoughts?

I dont think they ever will pick up value. There were just too many of them made, and nobody wants them. This particuliar era is famous for the huge amounts of cards produced as well, I have tens of thousands of these myself that are just collecting dust.

Ironically though, these were some of my favorite cards ever made. Come on, Topps 1990 with the multi colored borders, or 1990 Donruss with the red/cursive, or 1991 Donruss with the green and blue series 1 and series 2 borders?


You might be able to sell some of the rookies for pennies on their "value", or sell them in bulk to card shops, but the commons? Unless you have some attachment to them, you could probably trash them without having to worry that theyll ever be worth anything before they outright deteriorate.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by Subzro

I have a large collection from the same era, but unfortunately, so does everyone else. None of those cards are rare, nor probably ever will be. Unless you have all the big rookies in gem mint condition that have been graded and authenticated, they are about as collectible as the cardboard they are printed on.

Sadly, I also had a mega collection of all the "vintage" Magic the Gathering cards, that I sold for pennies years ago, and those things are worth a mint today. Oops!

Ahh, the days before Magic became a joke.

[duster1979]

It's a bad era. There are a few rookie gems in the early 1980's (Sandberg, Ripken) but for some reason people just aren't lining up for Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco cards.

Plus there are just a crapton of cards from that era out there. The sports card boom of the mid-1980s caused all the manufacturers to go overboard for the next decade or so which simply flooded the market and killed collectibility.

I wouldn't toss them, but unless you've got unlimited storage space they're probably not worth hanging on to either. If you don't mind spending a little time on them I'd sort through them with a Beckett guide and pull out the ones with some value for future consideration, then divide the leftovers into "grab bags" and sell them at a garage sale or something for a buck or two. If you don't want to spend any time on them just sell them as one big lot on eBay. You might only get 20 bucks or so, but it's better than throwing them in the trash.

If you itemize your expenses on your taxes you might check with Goodwill and see what value they would put on them if you donated them.

[topher5150]

Originally Posted by Subzro

I have a large collection from the same era, but unfortunately, so does everyone else. None of those cards are rare, nor probably ever will be. Unless you have all the big rookies in gem mint condition that have been graded and authenticated, they are about as collectible as the cardboard they are printed on.

Sadly, I also had a mega collection of all the "vintage" Magic the Gathering cards, that I sold for pennies years ago, and those things are worth a mint today. Oops!

What do you mean by "vintage" I found a box in the garage, and a box in the basement.

[jodipper]

Cards in the 80's and later were collected, put in plastic, and mass produced. Cards from earlier times were never put in plastic and thrown in a shoe box. A card from those days in mint condition is a find. A 1995 in mint is one of millions. Give me any old AFL card before a rookie from the last 30 years. There might be a good price on the rookie, but who will pay it.

I started collecting in 1962. They were only sold in a few stores in my area. Now everyone sells cards.

[mco65]

If would recommend to anyone that wanted to start collecting sports cards to collect pre WWI baseball cards. Baseball cards produced before 1915 are quite valuable and collectible. Baseball cards between 1915 and say 1960 are less valuable but still highly collectible.. cards produced in the 60s and 70s hold less value and less collectible but still contain some gems.. cards produced after 1980 are mostly junk.. there are a few gems but its like finding a needle in a haystack..